1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates in general to packaging or packing material and more particularly to a new and improved filling material for filling hollow spaces in packaging shipping containers and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Materials for use in filling hollow spaces in packaging or wrapping objects for protection in moving are well known in the prior art. However, to date, such materials have been either ineffective, such as newsprint, or ecologically unsound, such as styrofoam, plastic foam and plastic air bubble sheets. Use of the plastic wrap and void fill materials generates disposal problems. Although recycling of these products is possible, storage of the products for reuse is bulky and not generally feasible for home owners or some industries. Another disadvantage of existing filling materials is that they cannot be shipped in an unexpanded form thereby creating shipping cost based on bulk.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,090 discloses perforation of a lattice stripe in a ductile material, i.e. plastics or metal. The perforations are cut into the material without changing the width of the stripe, thereby allowing the stripe to maintain the same width whether or not perforations are cut.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,131 discloses a dunnage pad for use as cushioning. The sheet like stock material is rolled inwardly to form a pair of pillow-like portions abutting one another. These portions are stitched, or otherwise fastened, together. U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,039 discloses a mechanism which produces a dunnage type product for use with packing, shipping, etc. The confirmation of the dunnage type product does not allow the specific item to be wrapped, but rather cushions the item along the bottom and/or edges of a container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,228 discloses an expanded paper for use in chicken coups. The light weight paper disclosed in the patent has little elastic potential energy due to the weakness of the less than 30 pound paper used in the invention of the patent and the use of an adhesive. It is noted that the weight of paper is in pounds of paper per thousand square feet prior to expansion. The light weight material can exert only a slight amount of energy absorption during the deceleration of the article being protected, until the rigid quality of the adhesive material used in the structure is encountered, at which point the deceleration can be excessive. The adhesive would interfere both with the use of the material as an impact absorber, due to the rigidity of the adhesive. It is further noted that the material would be environmentally disadvantageous because of the presence of the non-biodegradable adhesive.
While the prior art devices provide improvements in the areas intended, none of the prior art devices overcome the problems associated with general shipping and handling. None of the prior art patents disclose an environmentally safe material which can be wrapped and interlocked around, and conform to, a delicate item.
The instant invention discloses an environmentally safe filling material manufactured from recycled paper in various sizes to meet the user's needs. The cushioning affect of the filling paper is achieved through expansion at the time of use and therefore is shipped in an unexpanded form to provide an advantage for shipping and storage.